October Celebrations & Events on Pinterest

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Or, should I be greeting you with Happy Birthday Day!!! No, no, no, it isn't my birthday again, let's not get crazy. How many birthdays a year can a girl take? Today is the day the Happy Birthday Song was first published in 1893. I'll spare you the singing, I have what some call a "squeaky" voice and if we all started singing together, I'm sure we'd be out of tune. (have you ever been in a birthday choir when it wasn't?)

I guess it shouldn't come as much of a surprise to learn that according to The Guinness Book of World Records,"Happy Birthday To You" is the most popular song in the English language. The song seems to carry much controversy though about copyright dates and infringement use. Did you know, the song "Happy Birthday To You" is protected by copyright laws? It's true. Too much for my little head to digest. The melody was supposedly written by two kindergarten teachers, which also happen to be sisters, Patty and Mildred Hill. It was published as "Good Morning To All" in the book Song Stories for the Kindergarten.

"Happy Birthday to You" is the best-known and most frequently sung song in the world. Many - including Justice Breyer in his dissent in Eldred v. Ashcroft - have portrayed it as an unoriginal work that is hardly worthy of copyright protection, but nonetheless remains under copyright. Yet close historical scrutiny reveals both of those assumptions to be false. The song that became "Happy Birthday to You," originally written with different lyrics as "Good Morning to All," was the product of intense creative labor, undertaken with copyright protection in mind. However, it is almost certainly no longer under copyright, due to a lack of evidence about who wrote the words; defective copyright notice; and a failure to file a proper renewal application.(Robert Brauneis, George Washington University - Law School)

Speaking of drinks, I would like to thank Tiare from A Mountain Of Crushed Ice (Cocktails, Tikidrinks, Rums and More) for her contribution to the picnic game. She couldn't make it this year but she did send along this recipe suggestion. She wished us a fun day too!!!

Aperol Spritz

2 oz. Prosecco1 1/2 Aperol Orange Liqueur1 dash(es) Soda or Seltzer

Prepare in wine glass: Add ice, Prosecco, dash of seltzer and top with Aperol.Garnish with a slice of orange.

Apple Mint, Flowering Strawberry Geranium & Lavender

We've got a picnic to go to so I'm just going to give you the skinnys on the foodie days for the rest of the week.

Picnic Update

The Letters

If you haven't chosen a letter yet, be my guest. If you have chosen already, grab another!!! I'm surprised the letter I still remains although, I have gotten two dibs on it but both are still undecided. First come, first serve:)

The picnic basket is getting filled and many of you have written to tell me you will have your letters in by day's end. The sooner we get all the letters in, the easier it is for others to post their goodies. I'll be sending out all the letters I have to everyone later this evening. Then, I will refill them as they come in. Please send your submissions with Picnic Game in the subject line to acalenda [at] gmail [dot] com.

Take my word for it "kids" we're going to have a wonderful selection of goodies at the picnic. I can't wait!!!

1. Heat the lemon juice and sugar or honey over medioum heat in a saucepan until the sugar or honey completely dissolves. Set aside to cool slightly.

2. In a gallon container, stir together the lemon mixture with the spring water. Fill glasses with ice, add a sprig of mint or lemon balm, and pour in the lemonade.

Honeysuckle Syrup:Drizzle this syrup over luscious strawberries or use it to sweeten homemade lemonade.

4 cups packed honeysuckle blossomsSugarLemon Juice

1. Rinse the honeysuckle blossoms gently. Put the blossoms in a large saucepan and pour over enough boiling water to cover. Cover the saucepan, remove it from the heat, and let the mixture steep for 24 hours.

2. The next day, strain the cooled liquid into a large bowl, discarding the blossoms. Measure the liquid and pour it into a large saucepan. For each cup of the infusion, add 2 cups sugar and the juice of 1/2 lemon to the saucepan. Bring this mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture has a syrupy texture. Remove the pan from the heat, let the syrup cool slightly, and pour into lidded glasses or jars. Refrigerated, the syrup will keep indefinitely. Make 4 cups syrup. (Picnic Lemonade and Honeysuckle Syrup harvested from Prairie Home Cooking by Judith M. Fertig, 1999.) A very cool book, indeed:)

Picnic Game News

There's still time to join in on the fun and play the Picnic Game. As is the case with most "family" gatherings, there's still tons to do. You haven't heard? We're "playing" the Picnic Game again this year. And, if you've never played before, follow this link. For those of you who ARE playing the Picnic Game, I have a few suggestions:

1. Send me your link and an image of you picnic goodies as soon as you possibly can. So far, Barbara has "packed" the letter F with her 5 Bean Salad and Anne is bringing Raspberry Chocolate Macarons with the letter R.

2. I've gotten a few emails about time limitations. So, I've made a few amendments. a. I've extended the deadline for post submissions until June 29th. That doesn't necessarily mean we don't need your post ASAP. It just means, we can keep adding as they come in with the final round-up still scheduled for July 1st, just in time for National Picnic Month.

3. If for some reason you simply can not find the time to create a new post because of time, you may want to revisit your archives and bring a previous post to the Picnic Game. It must be an entirely new post though, which includes all of the other guest letters and a link to the Picnic Game link and logo.

The Letters!

I'm going on a picnic and I'm bring... Letters, do I have letters for you! Ten to be exact. That's right, there are still 10 letters. Now, a normal person might worry that we have exactly one week until we virtually go on our picnic but, and that's a big but, I have every confidence that we will have enough goodies in that basket. I've tried to personally invite as many people as possible. (I'm still waiting on rsvps:) And there are oh so many I just haven't gotten to yet. I'll keep trying. So, if you know anyone, anywhere, that you think would like to join us on our picnic, be sure and ask them to drop by. If anyone out there is twitter high, why not give the Picnic Game a Tweet or Two. I'm going to get better about that too:)

Pick a Letter any Letter

As the letter pickins get slimmer, it may get more difficult to dream up a snappy name for your picnic dish. Last year Mary from One Perfect Bite solved the letter U dilemma by serving Ultimate Cheater Pulled Pork. Boy, it still looks good! (I just realized, I didn't get to Mary yet this year. Bad me...) Elise from Simple Recipes was too swamped to commit but she did send over Quesadilla, which not only looked yummy, it also took care of the uncooperative letter Q. Someone out there must have a Quesadilla recipe hanging around. I sure wouldn't mind a refreshing Incandescent Jell-O Salad at the picnic. How 'bout you? (I made that one up:) Okay, enough blabbing. Pick a letter and Let's Play the Picnic Game!!!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

UPDATE: July 1, 2010. The Picnic Game Round-Up has been posted. Oh goodness, bring your appetites!

Happy Birthday!

Yep, it is indeed my birthday today and I'm throwing caution to the wind. (if you were my age, you'd probably do the same:) It just so happens that today is also Chocolate Eclair Day, Paul Frees birth date (his was the original voice of the Pillsbury Doughboy and many many memorable voices.) You can read all about "The Man of a Thousand Voices"here. Legend has it that the doughnut was also "invented" on this day in 1847. Key word, legend:) I guess this little disc of trivia shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, it seems, according to the USPTO kids website that June 22nd is also a milestone day for Rolaids. In 1954, the trademark for Rolaids was registered. Hmmm...

However, delicious as all those factoids may sound, with the exception of the Rolaid thing, another happening is attributed to this day. It has to do with something dear to my heart (in more ways than one, you'll see:) and since it is my birthday and I can do whatever I want, I'm going to share it with you today. I'm even going to give it a pretend name...

It's Mayonnaise Day!

Not officially, of course but pretty darn close. You see, Richard Hellmann, yes, as in Hellmann's Mayonnaise, was born today in 1876. This Mayonnaise Sandwich muncher was born on the same day as the namesake of her favorite all time condiment, good ol' mayo!!! (when I was much younger, before I learned the Cholesterol word, I had a mayonnaise sandwich nearly every day of my school year) No peanut butter and jelly for me in those days. Nope, Mayonnaisse sandwiches on good old Wonder Bread. To think...

First, I would like to share two vintage Hellmann's die-cut recipe books that I have in my cookbook collection. Aren't they just the coolest things, EVER! (with the exception of mayonnaise of course:)

As you can imagine, both these recipe books are very fragile. If I had to guess, I think the Cooking Timetable booklet was probably produced before the one with the calendar. I say this because it offers a dollop of history about the History of Mayonnaise and the man himself and "his" mayo. (although, rumor has it, his wife really whipped up the recipe:)

Mayonnaise Dressing has been known for centuries, its origin being thought to date back to 1300 A.D. when a sauce prepared from egg-yolks and oil was first made in Bayonne, France. Ever since that time, mayonnaise has been considered a great delicacy, and one which required great skill and art and patience to prepare successfully in the home, but it was not until 1913 that Richard Hellmann's first made mayonnaise on a commercial scale in one of the most modern daylight factories in the world.

That's pretty much it for info from the book. I've scanned the rest of the page if you would like to read it. While I was at it, I also scanned a recipe for Topsy Turvey Salad and Country Club Salad from the Hellmann's 1925 calendar booklet. (click to enlarge)

That Amazing Ingredient Mayonnaise!

Lucky you, lol...It just so happens that I also have a more modern version of a Hellmann's Mayonnaise cookbook titled That Amazing Ingredient Mayonnaise! published in 1979. (hey that's modern to this birthday girl:)

It too offers a dab of info:

...Mayonnaise, as we know it, originated in 1912 when Richard Hellmann began selling it in his New York delicatessen. Mr. Hellmann's mayonnaise was consistently more reliable and convenient than the complicated homemade variety. With this newfound availability, consumers had the opportunity to use and enjoy mayonnaise more frequently and in more ways than ever before...

So what did this mayonnaise loving girl bake for her birthday this year? Why a Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake, naturally. (yes, I am still a girl to my mind's eye:) And, how did it fair at the hands of this non-baker? It faired pretty darn good if you ask me! Look see...

How was my Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake "suppose" to look? Here's the picture from the book and the recipe.

Since the recipe didn't offer a frosting, I decided I would just sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar on it to dress it up a bit. The cake was so glossy when it came out of the oven I was kind of hoping it would "sparkle" through the sprinkling. You really can't see it in the picture but it sure does shine. I also whipped up a bit of frosting and spread it around the sides and the middle. Now don't get all excited, I had a stash of pre-mixed frosting in the pantry. So, I didn't make it myself. I just whipped it with the beaters and added a teaspoon at a time of hot water to loosen it up a bit. That stuff is even too sweet for me. The hot water tones it down a bit without compromising what little flavor it thinks it has. I almost used warmed cherry juice but decided against it as I didn't want to ruin it. I bet Kahlua would worked too:) Want to see another version of this cake all prettied up? Check out what Juliana @ Simple Recipes did. Her cake looks gorgeous!

There also seems to be a debate as to the true day to celebrate National Peaches & Cream Day. This birthday girl will wait patiently for peaches to be in season here in PA to be celebrating. As for you, you could have celebrated on the 21st or the 23rd like Rochelle's Vintage Recipes. That reminds me, I have so many people to personally invite to the picnic yet, I better get a move on. If I haven't made it over to your blog yet with an invitation, please don't feel slighted...I'll try to make it ASAP! If you know of anyone who may want to join us, be sure and invite them. When the first letters are posted, the word will spread. I know it did last year, like wildfire. Now we don't want any fires at our picnic now do we? So, get the word out soon:)

June 24th

National Pralines Day

Thanks for celebrating my birthday with me. Enjoy and "see" you Friday for National Strawberry Parfait Day!!!

Resources1. Mr. Peanut, the Doughboy and other appetizing characters at the Inventors Museum

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Well, well, well, it has been quite a weekend here in Central PA. Marion and I got unexpected company from way down south and what a surprise it was!!! Okay, so the company actually arrived via Long Island, New York but the way they looked when they arrived, you would think they were traveling for days!!! The weekend is pretty much a blur right now because we were on the go since early Saturday morning. We drove the countryside, stopped at a two auctions and oh so many farm stands. We hit a car show where we devoured pulled pork sandwiches, oh yes we looked at all the cool cars too and had a ball at the Sock Hop!!! Today we went out for breakfast, again, and went to the Mud Car Races. A first for me and way cool...Tonight we feasted on barbecued brisket sandwiches which I let cook slowly all day in the crock. When we came home and opened that lid, WOW!!! (It was so simple I just threw in a can of cranberry jelly, some pineapple juice and ketchup:) Dee...licious!!! Oh yes, I made home made mac and cheese spiked with a menagerie of spicy ingredients. I do hope I remember how I did it. Yum!

Yes, busy, busy and oh what a wonderful surprise. As you can imagine, I'm pooped and Marion is out cold!!! I'm sorry I wasn't here in time to share today's special foodie days with you. I hope you didn't miss them too much:) I'm just going to leave you with today and tomorrow's for now and I'll be back on Tuesday with the rest.

June 20th

One hot day, in June of 1919 in Lodi, California an entrepreneur named Roy Allen mixed up a batch of creamy root beer and sold the first frosty mug of his delightful beverage for one nickel. The day was June 20th, the drink, A&W Root Beer®

I really do apologize for the lack of "spark" in this post. I'll see you Tuesday all bright eyed and bushy tailed. If you missed the post about the this year's Picnic Game, there's still plenty of time to choose a letter. I'm thrilled with the way it's going so far. I just know there's going to be a huge picnic basket full of goodies!!! At last count, the letters A, B, C, E, F, H, S, and T are all taken. I have lots of blogs to catch up with and tons of email to tend to also. There are still quite a few bloggers I haven't gotten to personally invite so I will be tending to that this week also. I'm also working on a surprise picnic guest post but I'm not sure if I'm quite ready for that yet. Don't forget to pass the word around about the picnic. Invite EVERYONE because, the more the merrier and we want lots of goodies in that picnic basket this year because, July is National Picnic Month!!! Nighty night...Louise:)

Friday, June 18, 2010

On the Fourth in 1870, the MacDonald Family sailed across Seneca Lake to Johnson's Cove for a "pic-nic." Mrs. MacDonald did not mention what her packaged fare was, but it might have included cold roast chicken, sardines, hard-boiled eggs, Boston brown bread, buttered rolls, sweet pickles, plum jelly, Saratoga chips ("carried in fancy papers which can be thrown away"), jelly, watermelon, chocolate loaf cake, fruit, cookies, lemonade, iced tea, and, of course, ice cream. To carry ice cream to a picnic without having it melt, one was to pack ice well around the freezer and then wrap the whole in a heavy carpet. Savory Suppers and Fashionable Feasts p. 200

"These can be made real milestones in the path of life; for a picnic or a hike, or a camping party on the beach or on the shores of the lake can do more probably to cement friendship and, at the same time, build up health and reserve strength than any other form of entertainment." Ida Bailey Allen The Sunshine Book [online circa 1920s]

Pique-nique "A meal taken in the open, or a meal to which each participant contributes a dish." -Larousse Gastronomique [1961, p. 731]

"An occasion, usually held outdoors, where food is eaten under informal circumstances and where a good time is had by all." -James Beard Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery [Vol. 9; 1966]

A Tisket A Tasket

You're all invited!!!

Just in case you missed it, International Picnic Day in 2009 kicked off the very first online Picnic Game here @ Months of Edible Celebrations. Not only was it FUN, our online picnic baskets were filled to the brim with picnic recipes. Would you like to play again? I sure would:)

UPDATE:June 27, 2010-Our picnic basket has the following letters still available.

U and Y!!!

I'll be posting a new blog post shortly with the latest Picnic Game News. It isn't to late to "play" so pick a letter and join in!!!

How To Play

Come on, you must have played the picnic game before. It's real easy. The traditional memory game starts when one player recites: "I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing an ___." (some word(s) that starts with the letter A; for instance Apple Pie)

The second player says, "I'm going on a picnic, and I'm bringing an Apple Pie. (the same "A" word(s) the first player used, in this case an Apple Pie) and ___." they add a B word like, Blueberry Muffins.

Each player recites what the person before is bringing and adds what they're bringing until we reach the end of the alphabet. Still not sure how to play? Take a look at the How to Play the Picnic Game Video I found online. It's child's play:)

1. Since this is a virtual picnic game, Anyone, Anywhere can play. I do request that recipes be posted in English or easy access to a translating medium is available.

2. Choose your letter at your own leisure. Don't take too long though. The "easy" letters go pretty quickly. Leave a comment on this post with the letter you have chosen. For instance, if you want to bring a dish to the picnic, that begins with the letter "A," your comment must be left before another person chooses that letter. *We can only have one letter of the alphabet for each dish.Note: If you would like to choose a backup letter just in case your chosen letter is taken, that would be GREAT too.

3. I will let you know if you can bring your dish to the picnic by leaving a You're Invited! comment on your blog. "You're Invited" will be your signal to grab a copy of the Picnic Game logo above and prepare a post for the Picnic Game Round-Up. Now, here's the difficult part. Since the Picnic Game is listed in alphabetical order, you may feel a bit like a contortionist trying to get your post up while still leaving room for the letters that will be preceding yours. For instance, last year, Selba @ Selby's Food Corner chose the letters K and L. She wasn't able to post her picnic game recipes until I emailed her a list of the letters and dishes before hers. Not only did she do it, she did a GREAT job which included the images and links to the recipes. Look how nice it looks by following Selby's link above.

Let's say my dish begins with the letter "E" and I'm bringing Eggplant and Pimiento Long Boys. After a "picnicky" introduction, my post would look something like this:

Split 6-inch lengths of French bread, or French rolls. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt. I don't usually have garlic salt on hand but hey, this is a picnic:)Cover one half with overlapping slices of panfried eggplant. On the other half put slices of pimiento. Wha la!

In essence, the sooner you send me your link, the sooner you'll be able to fill in the blanks as will everyone else. It's your choice whether you chose to include images from the recipes before yours but please do include an image with your recipe and don't forget to send it to me with the link. [acalenda {at} gmail {dot} com] That's me!

In its traditional form, the Picnic Game is not written down, or in this case posted. Memory is of the utmost importance. As items are "brought" to the picnic, the list becomes longer and longer ending at the letter "Z." As the picnic goodies are recited, it becomes more difficult to remember who is bringing what. We won't be eliminating any letters. In our game, the list will continue from blog to blog with each blogger adding an alphabetical link for each item being brought on the picnic. They will also include their newly created "lettered" dish in their post. (last year we used archived recipes but this year I thought it would be fun to create a dish just for the Picnic Game.)

I was going to kick things off by filling the picnic basket with the first item. However, I've decided against that for the time being. Many people are on a blog hiatus since the nice weather is upon so I'm leaving the letter choosing up to YOU! I will whip up something with the leftovers if need be.:) (hopefully there won't be too many so please be creative with your recipe titles so we get to include difficult letters such as Q and Z:)

The absolute deadline for your chosen letter recipe link is Sunday, June 27th. That date should give me enough time to fill in the blanks for the letters not taken and whip up the final list of Picnic Game goodies in time for National Picnic Month in July. I'll be posting the Round-Up on the first of July.

Summary

1. Select a recipe that begins with your chosen letter and write a post about it on your blog. You must list what the people before you are bringing. That's why it's called the Picnic Game! I will email you with those links and images, as soon as they are emailed to me.

2. Include the Picnic Day Logo in your post with a link back to this post.

3. Email me at acalenda {at} gmail {dot} com (it would be really nice of you to include Picnic Game in the subject line) In the email please include the following.

a. Your nameb. Your blog's namec. Your post URLd. The name of your recipee. An image of your dish (250 pixels wide sounds good) Also let me know if you give me permission to pass the image along to other picnickers.

4. If you would like to bring more than one dish to the picnic, you are more than welcome. Just note it in the email and include items C-E for each additional dish.

5. Please email me as soon as you know what you are bringing. No later than Sunday, June 27, midnight EST. The sooner the better so I can forward your link to the other picnickers.

6. I will be posting the entire list of Picnic Game recipes by midnight July 1st. If for some reason, there are not enough entries by that time, I'll do my best to fill in the blanks.

7. *If you would like to host the Picnic Day Game on your blog, and get your visitors involved, be my guest. The more the merrier. Just let me know.

9. If for some reason, there are not enough entries for the Picnic Game, I will do my best to fill in the blanks. How? I'm not quite sure but I'll think of something. I realize many people are away or will be away the next couple of weeks and not blogging as often as usual. However, if you've been lurking @ Months of Edible Celebrations, now would be the perfect time to introduce yourself and your blog if you have one. We have 26 letters to to fill that basket. If you don't have a blog, introduce yourself anyway. Picnics are always more enjoyable when there are new people to meet and greet!

10. Most important, Have FUN!

So, do you want to play the Picnic Game? Oh goodie, then just pick a letter and let's get toting!!! Here's the filled Picnic Basket from last year to whet your appetite.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Baking; Rarely a Picnic for Me

You may have heard, today is Kitchen Klutzes of America Day. Let me introduce myself. My name is Louise and I am a Kitchen Klutz:) There's simply no denying it. I am what I am, especially when it comes to baking. For instance, take this mini bundt cake pan Marion snatched up for me at a local yard sale. Cool huh?

She got it at the bargain basement price of 50 cents. Let me back up a minute. YOU may take one look at that pan and immediately know that it is a Multi Mini Bundt Pan made right here in the USA by Nordic Ware. As for me, I've had it for about 2 weeks and never even thought to turn the thing over to see right there in plain black what it was and how it measured. Okay, so I stuck it in the dish washer without reading first. I was "this" close to asking "you guys" to help me when it dawned on me to check the other side. Wha La! Right there in plain English; Nordic Ware.

What does one do with a Multi Mini Bundt Pan? Bake Multi Mini Bundts; like this, of course!

Well, maybe not exactly like that. Klutzy me couldn't get them out of that dang pan no matter how I tried. According to the Multi Mini Bundt Nordic Ware site,"your cakes will release quickly and bake evenly every time." Makes six one-cup servings. That's what they think. I barely got two and let me tell you, that's pushing it.

And, to make matters worse, it took me a good hour or so to figure out that the two loners needed to be turned upside down or right side up before they could even appeal to the naked eye. I tell ya, it's a darn good thing they filled the air with their heavenly scent or I might of simply tossed them. (I would have had to wait till Marion was sleeping, she detests waste:)

What could have gone wrong? I give up. I was so excited to find just the right recipe to quench my desire for "my perfect blueberry coffee cake," that it just never occurred to me that perhaps, just maybe, one does not put coffee cake batter in a multi mini bundt pan. Is that it? Or, perhaps, just maybe, I didn't grease the living daylights out of those six minis. Believe me, I did. Every nook, crease and cranny got Criscoed. Don't even try to tell me I should have used that can spray stuff, I simply can't. If anything, I may have over greased but, and I repeat, I did not under grease that pan!!! Not only did I coat those babies in winter lard, I followed the recipe to the T. That's not something I'm usually cable of doing when my imagination gets the best of me. However, on that fateful Klutzy night, I wanted Mini Blueberry Coffee Cakes and I wanted them perfect. You see, I also had something to prove to myself. My son John and his adorable wife, Kyla, surprised me a couple of weeks ago with a late Mother's Day present. A food processor!!! (if you remember, I was in Idaho for Mom's Day:) So, I thought I would master the very best Blueberry Coffee Cake processor style and surprise the kids the next time they came over. I've heard that a food processor makes a mean streusel. Indeed it did. All those chunks of cold butter snuggled between nutmeggy brown sugar. Oh goodness!!! It turned out just as I imagined. Not so for the cakes. So, I offer you this recipe harvested from Cakes; 1001 Classic Recipes from Around the World. Perhaps, someone out there can tell this Mini Blueberry Coffee Cake baking Kitchen Klutze what she did wrong. As for taste, the recipe suggested serving while still warm and boy am I glad I did, they were delicious with a capital Dee! (so were all those crumbles:)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch Bundt pan. (in my case 6 minis)Topping:Stir together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Use a pastry blender to cut in the butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. (I used my new food processor)Cake:1. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt into a large bowl.2. Beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy.3. Add the eggs, one at a time, until just blended after each addition.4. with mixer at low speed, gradually beat in dry ingredients alternating with the milk.5. Stir in the blueberries6. Spoon half the batter into the prepared pan. sprinkle with half the topping. Spoon the remaining batter over. Sprinkle with remaining topping.7. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes ut clean. Cool cake in the pan for 30 minutes. (I did 22 minutes for the minis and it seemed to bake up just fine, or not)

June 13th

Christine Terhune Herrick co-author of The National Cook Book (1896) was born on June 13, 1859. The National Cook Book(that's a link to an online copy) was the "Brides Book" of the time. She authored it, and The Consolidated Library of Modern Cooking... (1904) with her mother, *Marion Harland. Christine Terhune Herrick is credited with writing over thirty books on childcare and cooking.

June 14th

It's National Strawberry Shortcake Day!!! After fruitlessly whipping heavy cream for the topping, Marion finally convinced me to engulf my "from scratch" Strawberry Shortcake with, heaven forbid, Reddi-Whip she had stashed in the fridge just for the occasion. Another Klutzy mishap...(I managed to bake a fabulous one for Tabi's birthday last year; thank goodness:)

"Klutzy's" Strawberry Shortcake

June 15th

*Ernestine Schumann-Heink, San Diego's most beloved opera singer; and mother of eight, was born today in 1861. She once did an endorsement for Jell-O that I thought I would share with you today. I also did a post about her celebrated life in 2009.

Spill the Salt Day. This Kitchen Klutz is notsuperstitious about spilling salt. Goodness, Marion would ban me from the kitchen for sure!

June 16th

"On June 16, 1893, R. W. Rueckheim invented Cracker Jack. His hot new product was a concoction of popcorn, peanuts and Molasses. It was first introduced at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago." (source) Today is the perfect day to share this undated booklet with you. Don't you think?

Zongzi is the traditional food on Dragon Boat Day, a pyramid-shaped (sometimes four-sided with pointed, rounded ends) dumpling made of glutinous rice. The rice dumpling is wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves to give it a special flavor and tied together with string, varied greatly across China. Zongzi in Guangdong is made of sweet-tasting, with pork, walnut, bean and other salty fillings; In Sichuan Province, Zongzi is usually served with a sugar dressing. Most Chinese people still maintain the tradition of eating Zongzi on Duanwu Festival but as to its popularity, Zongzi can be found all the year round in China.

George Cormack, co-inventor of Wheaties was also born on June 17, 1870.

...In 1921, a health clinician in Minneapolis, while mixing a batch of bran gruel for his patients, spilled some of the mix on a hot stove where it sizzled into a crisp flake. After tasting the very first Wheaties prototype, he took the idea to the Washburn Crosby Company, where the head miller, George Cormack, took on the task of trying to strengthen the flakes to keep them from turning to dust inside a cereal box. Cormack tested 36 varieties of wheat before he developed the perfect flake. It was introduced in test marketing in Nov 1924. The name Wheaties was chosen by a company wide contest won by Jane Bausman, the wife of the export manager. Numerous other entries included Nutties and Gold Medal Wheat Flakes.(source)

June 18th

For this year's International Picnic Day festivities, I'd like to "kick off" the second annual Picnic Game "in person." I'll be back on Friday, June 18th, International Picnic Day to post the rules and a slight changes. In the mean time, here's the round-up of Picnic Game Recipes from last year in case you're planning on joining us this year.

June 19th

A Self Waiting Table was patented today by a W. L. Lance, of Plymouth, Pennsylvania in 1866. You can see a diagram of it right here. Pretty cool...

Hey, do you know what Garfield (the cartoon strip character:) likes to munch on? Why, it's Lasagna. June 19, is Garfield's birthday. Here's what wiki has to say.

Garfield was born in the kitchen of Mama Leoni's Italian Restaurant and developed a taste for lasagna the day he was born. This was revealed on a Garfield TV special called Garfield: His Nine Lives. Ever since then, it has always been his favorite food. At birth, Garfield weighed 5lbs, 6oz.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

I just happened to drop in on Marjie the other day after she whipped up the most tantalizing S'more Parfaits. At the end of her post, she mentioned something about not having her recipe for "real chocolate custard" handy which got me to thinking. What defines "real chocolate custard?" Is there a difference between Custards and Puddings? Oh I know, they seem like the most obvious of questions but quite frankly, I still find them both confusing. And, when you stir in "ganache like chocolate pudding" then what?

I'm not sure if I told you yet but I'll be sure to make note of it now. On June 26th chocolate pudding lovers' everywhere will be celebrating National Chocolate Pudding Day. Yep, an entire day devoted to chocolate pudding. How cool is that??? I have every intention of celebrating National Chocolate Pudding Day because first and foremost, I LOVE Chocolate Pudding. Not vanilla, not pistachio, not even butterscotch (although homemade butterscotch pudding, "real" pudding, could someday possibly gain my vote:) For now, it's Chocolate! I'm especially fond of homemade chocolate pudding which as you may have heard zillions of times, is quite easy to make from scratch. I'm not sure if any of these recipes fall into the category of "real chocolate custard" in Marjie's eyes but they are only a few of the recipes I turn to when I'm craving chocolate pudding, or custard for that matter. These first two recipes are from a previous post I did celebrating *Chocolate Milk Powder Day.

These two Chocolate Pudding recipes are from the same recipe booklet. They both use cornstarch.I usually have a difficult time choosing from the assortment of Ghirardelli "Sweet Sixteen" recipe packets. Here are four I go to:) Enjoy! (hope this helps Marjie:)

Louis Antoine Godey publisher and founder of Godey's Lady's Book, the first successful American women's fashion magazine, was born today in 1804. There is a sample of Godey's Lady's Book at the University Of Vermont website and Lidian over at Kitchen Retro posted a A Very Godey Birthday a while back. Godey's Lady's Book was instrumental in introducing many unknown women authors during its heyday. With the help of a person named Debbie, an online person I never met way back when, I gathered a bit of information on Godey.

...In the beginning he modeled it frankly upon a popular English periodical for women, filling it with material "selected" from foreign magazines, and depending for feminine favor largely upon a page of music and attractive colored fashion plates. With shrewd business insight he soon realized the wider possibilities of such a publication in a country where women of the "domestic circle" were becoming increasingly important as readers. He ceased to borrow from foreign sources and began to print, and pay for, the work of American women writers such as *Eliza Leslie. Her first publication, Seventy-Five Receipts for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats, with recipes appeared in 1837. Beside Eliza Leslie , William Cullen Bryant, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Longfellow all contributed to the magazine. Edgar Allan Poe's first contribution to Godey's Lady's Book was his Tale of the Ragged Mountains. In 1837, Godey, bought out the Ladies Magazine of Boston, and placed its correct and highly respected editor, Mrs. Sarah Josepha Hale, at the head of his own periodical. One of her poems The Empire of Woman was also published in the periodical. By 1843 he could announce a number "entirely the production of lady writers" and assure his readers that the Lady's Book was the only magazine in the world "consecrated to the promotion of those pure virtues and moral influences which constitute women's mission." As the prosperity of the publication increased, Godey attracted to his pages, by means of liberal payments, the best known of American writers, men as well as women; in 1845 he began to copyright his material. In his own department, Godey's Arm Chair, he commented on and advertised the many innovations and "embellishments" of his periodical. By 1858 its circulation had reached 150,000. He remained sole proprietor of the paper until 1877 when his two sons temporarily took over the business. At the end of that year he disposed of his interests to a publishing company and retired, confidently appealing to three generations of readers to acknowledge "the purity of the magazine and it's eminent fitness for family reading."

Interested in a little Drive-In Theater History? You picked the perfect day. The first drive-in movie theater opened in Camden, New Jersey, on June 6, 1933. Up until about 2 years ago, there was a drive-in down in State College. I vowed to go when I moved here but alas, it has sadly since closed: What's the second best thing to remember about the drive-in, the concession stand, of course:)

The application for a patent was filed on August 6, 1932, and it was later granted by the patent office on May 16, 1933 under patent number 1,909,537...On May 16, 1933, the day the patent was granted, work began on constructing the drive-in on Crescent Boulevard in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey. The location is usually reported as Admiral Wilson Blvd. in Camden, but technically the Theater was just over the Camden town line, where the name of the road changes. Opening night was June 6, 1933, and it was known simply as "Drive-In Theater" although the actual name was the "Automobile Movie Theater." Opening night was packed with cars, and the first film ever shown at a drive-in was the 1932 release of "Wives Beware," which was in second-run status at the time. The problem of obtaining first-run films for drive-ins remains to this day! Admission was 25 cents for each car and an additional 25 cents for each person, somewhat higher than the prevailing price at the indoor houses at the time, who were also offering double features. Ironically, this has reversed itself over time and drive-ins are usually the only places to see double features today.(source )

On June 6, 1866, Baron Brisse, quite possibly the first food journalist, wrote a column in a French publication suggesting the creation of the dessert; Baked Alaska, was introduced into France by the chef of a visiting Chinese delegation at the Grand Hotel in Paris. Gee, I was under the impression *Count Rumford invented Baked Alaska. According to the Food Timeline, "There are (at least) four popular stories regarding the "invention/evolution" of this dessert." Image courtesy of wiki.

You don't need to wait until December to try your hand at this Baked Alaska recipe from the Millennium Alaskan Hotel Anchorage. Nor do you have to wait until National Baked Alaska Day, February 1st. Crank up that ice cream maker. Baked Alaska makes a festive summer time dessert!!!

June 7th

Everywhere I go these days I see proclamations that read, "on June 7, 1786, the first day ice cream was sold in the US." I'm not so sure about that. I'll have to investigate. I do know, however, that June 7th is National Chocolate Ice Cream Day! I still have the packet out. What the heck! I'm sure this recipe for Ghirardelli's Chocolate Ice Cream can be found everywhere but here it is just in case. Now as for adapting it, that's up to you!!!

June 8th

I know this may sound rather odd but I just can't resist. Today is supposedly Shoo Fly Day. Not only does it state it right here, I guess the site owner thinks it's the perfect time to celebrate, Shoo Fly Pie:)

Have you had your fill of donuts and sweets this month? Not yet? Good. According to Mr. Breakfast, there are 16 Breakfast Holidays and one of them is today, or tomorrow:) It's International Jelly-Filled Doughnut Day!

"The legendary chef Antonin Carême, born June 8, 1784, is generally acknowledged as the founder of classic French cookery." You can view an Extraordinary Banquet composed by the master at The Old Foodie blog. Incredible!!! Wanna a bit of dessert? Last year Courtney celebrated Carême's birthday with a gorgeous Peach Souffle. Or, you can feast your eyes on this Savoy Cake with Oranges mastered by the master himself.

Gold Medal [flour] received its name on June 8, 1880, when the Washburn Crosby Company, predecessor to General Mills, Inc., entered the first International Millers' Exhibition and won the gold, silver and bronze medals on their three grades of spring wheat.

June 9th

Fred Waring, as in Waring Blender, (originally called the Miracle Mixer) was born in Tyrone, PA on June 9, 1900. I bet you didn't know he was among many things, a musician too. Yes, he was quite the character. Don't forget to navigate the side bar for a wonderful journey.

On June 9, 1822, Charles Graham patented false teeth. I kid you not. It's right here in Today in Science.

In 1822, Charles Graham received the first patent for false teeth. (Dentures) His were not the first false teeth in use, however. In the Colonial years, rotten teeth were considered the cause of many illnesses, and they would be extracted. Varied ways of replacing them were tried. For example, George Washington had at least four sets of false teeth (though none were wooden, despite a myth to that effect). Washington's first dentures were made using human teeth inserted into carved ivory. In 1789, dentist John Greenwood of New York, made Washington another set from gold, hippo teeth, and hippo and elephant ivory. The one natural remaining tooth was a molar, and a hole was left for that.

"Frank Hardart and Joe Horn (Horn & Hardart) opened their first Automat on June 9, 1902 at 818 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia. The birth date of modern fast food." (source)

June 10th

It's Herbs & Spice Day

It's National Black Cow Day- The first National Black Cow Day was celebrated on August 19, 1893. How do I know this? Now, what would a Black Cow be without Hires Root Beer? I posted about *Mr. Hires & the Black Cow back in August of 2009. Here's a nibble from that post:

What exactly is a Black Cow? From The Dictionary of American Food and Drink by John F. Mariani:Any variety of ice-cream sodas made with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Usually the soda itself is either chocolate, sarsaparilla, or root beer (called a Boston cooler), and the name refers to the mixture of dark soda with the white dairy item floating in it. If made with chocolate soda (that is, seltzer, milk and chocolate syrup), it might be called a Black-and White, especially in the East. In the 1930s plain root beer sometimes went by this term, as did chocolate milk in the 1940s, especially at lunch counters.

June 11th

On June 11,1939, the King and Queen of England were in America to visit with President and Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt. As is befitting of such a grand event, the King and Queen were fed some of the gourmet foods of the United States. In fact, it was the first time that both the King and Queen had tasted hot dogs.

"Much to the horror of FDR's mother Sara Roosevelt, the King and Queen of England were served hot dogs on the front porch of the cottage. Although the press made a great deal about the hotdogs (the picnic made the front page of the New York Times), the menu also included more delicate fare fit for a King and Queen:(scroll down for the menu)

Kamehameha Day in Hawaii. I'm going to try and dig out those Hawaiian cookbooks to celebrate.

Every June 11th, thousands of people gather on the northern tip of the Big Island of Hawaii to honor Kamehameha I, the chief who united the Hawaiian Islands in 1795.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

June, our sixth month, was originally the fourth month with 26 days until Romulus gave it four more days; Numa Pompilus took one from it; and finally and thankfully, Julius Caesar gave it thirty days. Whew! The name for June is a much debated question. Some believe the word came from the fact that the month was dedicated to the lower branch of the Roman law making body, the Juniors. Others think the name is somehow connected to Junius. While, still others believe it was named in honor of Juno. Juno, wife of Juniper was the special deity of women, the goddess of marriage and childbirth. After a bit of digging around, I was delighted to find a recipe dedicated to The Jealous Goddess. It's called, Junos Summer Quiche Recipe.

"This quiche celebrates the Roman goddess who also gave us the name for the month of June. Juno, once revered as an omnipotent goddess of female power, was gradually diminished by the patriarchy until she became merely the jealous, shrewish wife of the god Jupiter."

I realize I already posted the monthly celebrations of June and the first two days but, for those who may have missed them, here they are again with little fanfare. I "threw" in a few not mentioned before to keep you on your toes:)

Monthly Celebrations: June

June is...*National Candy Month(this is a different link from Sunday's. It's mine and it's about Charles I. Hood)

June 2nd

June 3rd

Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War, was born today in 1808. As I may have mentioned before, many cooks commemorated people through the ages by naming recipes and dishes after them. Jefferson Davis was no exception. First, we have, Kentucky Chess Pie, (Jefferson Davis was born in Kentucky) also known as Jefferson Davis Pie @ Saveur.

One teacup of pounded loaf sugar, one of butter, and the white of one egg beaten very light. Mix with flour enough to make a tolerably stiff dough. A tablespoonful of cream and a little pinch of soda will be an improvement. Roll the dough in thin sheets and cut in cakes or round rings; dip the cakes in pounded loaf sugar before baking.

June 4th

The first shopping cart was introduced on June 4, 1937, the invention of Sylvan Goldman, owner of the Piggly-Wiggly supermarket chain in Oklahoma City. I was *Scoping the Shopping Cart back in 2008 @ my Tasteful Inventions blog. The invention of the grocery cart is rather interesting, really:)

Some say today is National Cheese Day. Personally, I was under the assumption Cheese Day was in January. Who am I to argue. I will offer you this though, on June 4, in the year 1070, a charter was granted to the village of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, in the Auvergne region west of Provence, for the production of the cheese. But Roquefort cheese likely was being produced at least 200 years earlier.(source) I posted about Roquefort: *“King of Cheeses” back in December of 2007. Why in December? You'll need to check the post to find out:) I'll give you a hint; another King was born that day. Oh Okay, you needn't pull my arm, I'll give you a few highlights from the post and another link.

This booklet was published by the Roquefort Cheese Association in 1964. Below is from the introduction.

All bottled Roquefort dressings are controlled by license issued by Roquefort Association Inc. on behalf of the industry. Each dressing manufacturer, in order to use the name Roquefort and the Red Sheep Seal, is required to have in his dressing a generous quantity of Roquefort, and no other cheese. Roquefort dressings vary widely in looks and taste, depending upon the ideas of each manufacturer as to what is most tasty. However, they all have two things in common, generous amounts of fine Roquefort, plus the Red Sheep Seal on the label.

Click to enlarge:)

*The Mozart of the Kitchen, Adolphe Dugléré was also born today. Adolphe Duglere became the head chef of the most famous 19th century Paris restaurant, the Cafe Anglais in 1866. He is generally credited with creating Anna Potatoes or Pommes Anna.

The legendary Aesop was born today. Did you know Aesop was a cook? According to Chef Jean Conil in his book For Epicures Only, Aesop was a slave cook to Xanthus. There's a rather humourous anecdote about one of his cooking presentations in The Legendary Life and Fables of Aesop available online @ google books.

It's National Donut Day! National Doughnut Day was established in Chicago in 1938 to honor the work of Salvation Army workers who prepared donuts for soldiers during World War I. *National Doughnut Day is always celebrated on the first Friday in June. This year, it just happens to be today. Here's a crumb for ya, it is said the "invention" of the hole in donuts was on June 22nd by a Captain Hanson Crockett Gregory. I really did an in depth post on the history of doughnuts back then. I also posted this poem from The Donut Book by Sally Levitt Steinberg, granddaughter of the man who invented the donut machine. There's an image of the machine on the post and a recipe for Stella Young's Salvation Army Doughnuts too!!

Don't forget to get you free donut (with a purchase of a beverage) @ Dunkin Donuts on June 4th. While I'm at it, I may as well let you know another donut sprinkle. Dunkin Donuts founder William Rosenberg was also born in June! If you prefer, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, check and see if there's a participating store near you.

June 5th

National Gingerbread Day-I just couldn't help revisiting the Fairy Gingerbread Poem I posted in the Kettledrum a while back. It's from a booklet titled Tummy Tingles.(click to enlarge the recipe)

On June 5th 1883, the Horlick brothers of Wisconsin were granted the first patent for Malted Milk. Actually, the product was originally produced for babies and invalids. You can read about Wisconsin's Malted Milk Story and see the patent here.

Bananas were first introduced in the US on June 5th. It says so right here:)